Craig Bloxom

Craig Bloxom in India in September 2018

Craig Bloxom was the bass player/singer of Australian ska/rock band vSpy vSpy. Bloxom was born in Los Angeles in 1959 and his family moved to Australia in 1965.

He met Mike Weiley at high school and moved to Sydney, where they joined Cliff Grigg, who lived in a squat in the inner Sydney suburb of Glebe.[1][2] To save money, Bloxom and Weiley moved into Grigg's squat, which became the rehearsal site for the early incarnation of v Spy v Spy. The band officially formed in Sydney in 1980, with Bloxom on bass/vocals, Weiley on guitar and Grigg on drums.[3] They became known for tackling political issues including racism, homelessness and contemporary drug culture.[1][2]

v Spy vs Spy: 1981–2003

v Spy v Spy played their first show in 1981.

The band developed an enthusiastic pub following for their distinctive brand of ska-flavoured indie rock.[1][2] They performed at many Sydney venues, particularly at the Sydney Trade Union Club, often supporting INXS. They also supported The Clash at the Capitol Theatre and U2 at the Sydney Entertainment Centre. They were then taken under the wing of Gary Vasicek, the manager of Midnight Oil and toured consistently around Australia, with forays to England, Germany and two tours of Canada.

Their AO Mod TV Vers album in 1987 achieved Gold status. Later, they achieved significant success in Brazil after a DJ in Rio de Janeiro began playing a single that developed a cult following with local surfers known as "surfistas", and the track 'Clarity of Mind' became a huge hit in Brazil. The band toured there successfully many times and, after Australia, Brazil is the bands strongest territory.

v Spy v Spy disbanded in 2003, and Bloxom now resides in Newcastle, Australia.

Discography

  • Meet Us Inside (1984)
  • Harry's Reasons (1986)
  • A.O. Mod TV Vers (1986)
  • Xenophobia [Why?] (1988)
  • Trash The Planet (1989)
  • Fossil (1993)
  • Spy File: The Best Of (1991)
  • Mugshot: The Best Of (1999)
  • Feito Na Praia (live in Brazil) (2003)

v Spy v Spy's catalogue was made available digitally in 2015 by Laneway Music.

References

  1. 1 2 3 McFarlane, Ian (1999). "Encyclopedia entry for 'v. Spy v. Spy'". Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop. Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86448-768-2. Retrieved 2008-11-10.
  2. 1 2 3 Nimmervoll, Ed. "Spy v Spy". Howlspace – The Living History of Our Music (Ed Nimmervoll). Archived from the original on 27 July 2012. Retrieved 10 February 2014.
  3. ↑ Holmgren, Magnus; Cuffe, Mark. "Spy v Spy". Australian Rock Database. Passagen.se (Magnus Holmgren). Archived from the original on 5 November 2013. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
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